Valve operating mechanism



Nov. 17, 1931. BRANCHE 1,832,696

VALVE OPERATING- MECHANISM Filed July 26. 1929 luv/1N TOR:

' AT TOPNEY,

Patented Nov. 17, 1931 UNITED TATES PATENT; OFFICE,

NELSON '1. BRANCHE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 1'0 SURFACE COMBUSTION CORPORA- TION, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK 4 VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM Application filed July 26,

This invention relates to valve operating mechanism and has for its object to provide an improved power-operated snap-action valve that shall be simple in construction and i5 reliable in operation. The invention has special utility in connection with gas burnlng .apparatus adapted for use withdomest c house heating furnaces but is not limited 1n its application to such use.

In the accompanying drawings wherem the preferredembodiment of the invention is shown: I

Fig. 1 shows the improved valve mechanism associated with a gas burning appara- 15 tus a portion only of the latter being shown,

and

Fig. 2 is a section through the improved apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, 5 represents a 20 box-like conduit forming part of a gas burning-apparatusprovidedwithadamperdforthe admission of secondary air to the gas burner (not shown), the combustible mixture sup?- ply pipe for the burner being indicated at gas being delivered to this pipe from the gas valve generally indicated at 8 and air for mixing with theJgas being controlled by a shutter 9 at the front of the conduit, said front being closed by a body 10 having formed therein appropriate passages for delivering the air and gas to said pipe which at its forward end constitutes a mixing tube. The burner apparatus itself forms no part of the present invention but has been briefly described to indicate the environment where the invention finds special utility.

The gas valve is either fully open or closed depending on heat requirements. Whenthe gas valve is-open, the secondary air damper 6 is also open and vice versa, appro riate connections being prpvided between t e'damper and valve operating mechanism to effect this result. Said connection preferably comprises .a lever 11 one end of which is connected to the damper by a spring 12 and the other end of which is pivoted to a vertically movable operating shaft or rod 13 forming part of the gas valve operating mechanism, the lever, when said rod is in its lowermost position, having fulcrum support on the valve body as 1929. Serial No. 881,142.

indicated at 14 and, when the rod is at its uppermost position, having fulcrum support on the top of the conduit 5 at the point indicated by reference numeral 15. At its ful cruming points the lever is. provided withto the damper-end of the lever and hence further opening of the damper is at a relatively slower speed. When the rod 13 is retracted the damper movement is of course just the reverse of that stated. The advantage of alf'iiz'angement will more fully appear herein- 9. er. r z It will be noted from Fig. 2 that the valve chamber is relatively long. The gas inlet indicated at 17 in Fig. 1 and the gas outlet at 18 inFig. 2, communication between the two being through the usual valve-controlled passage, the valve being indicated at 19. The valve 19 is appropriately mounted and confined on a valve stem 20 which in turn is appropriately confined for axial movement as will be readily understood. 7

The rod 13 previously referred to extends into the valve chamber through a gas ti ht packing 21 and beyond the limits of the va ve chamber proper through an appropriate opening in the lower wall of the chamber, said opening being closed b a cup-like receptacle'22 havin a flange or securement to the valve cham er wall as is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Positioned within the receptacle 22 is a \eugglike bellows 23 the upper edge of which edly secured to the upper edge of said receptacle in a manner to make a fluid tight fit.

The rod 13 at its lower end abuts the bottom of the bellows 23. Bridging the chamber opening through which the rod 13 extends into the bellows is a spider through the hub 24 of which the rod is freely movable. A

bottom thereof is a tube 27 the top of which is closed.

The receptacle 22 forms a container for liquid which of course surrounds the bellows and extends up into the tube 27 to the same level as in the receptacle, the liquid filling the receptacle. This liquid may be alcohol or any other suitable liquid which will expand when heated. Surrounding the tube 27 is an electric heating element 28 the leads of which are indicated at 29. It will now be understood that when the liquid which extends up into the tube 27 is heated, the pressure on the liquid will cause the bellows to yield upwardly and thus cause the rod 13 to move upwardly and that when the liquid is cooled to normal the rod will move downwardly with the bellows.

Delivery of current to the heating element 28 will be controlled by appropriate mechanism such as a room thermostat. Thus when the room thermostat calls for heat, current will flow to the heating element and when it does not call for heat the current will be cut off. When the rod rises under the influence of fluid pressure below the bellows, it will open the damper 6 as aforesaid.

The means whereby the rod 13 actuates the gas valve 19 will next be described. 30 indicates a lever or link which at one end 1s pivoted to the rod 13 and which at its other end straddles the valve stem 20 between two flanges or shoulders 31 formed thereon below the valve 19, both ends of said lever belng bifurcated as will be readily understood. A tension spring 32 anchored at one end to the chamber wall as indicated at 33 and at its other end to the lever 30 between the ends of the latter as indicated at 34 tends to close the valve when the rod end of the lever is below the spring and tends to open said valve when said end is above the spring, the opening and closing of the valve taking place with a snap as will now be readily understood.

The generation of pressure in the receptacle 22 due to heating of the liquid in the tube 28 sufficiently to cause the bellows to move upward against the tension of the spring 25 is not instantaneous but on the contrary requires a time interval of minutes. While the bellows is gradually moving upwardly, the rod 13 actuates the damper lever 11 to open the damper and secondary air for the burner is therefore availableas soon as the valve 19 has been opened. Conversely the damper starts to close before the gas valve can be closed and hence the burner will become extinguished very quietly. This quiet extinguishment of the burner reduces to a. minimum any tendency of the pilot burner to blow out as will be readily understood by those skilled inthe art.

supply in the valve chamber, cooling of the expansible fluid in the receptacle 22 is materially hastened once the heating element is non-operative.

In case the electric current should fail, the

rod 13 may be elevated by hand to open the The present invention provides a simple a and compact power operated valve mechanism wherein the moving parts are reduced to a minimum and which may be built at relatively low cost.

What is claimed is: 1. In combination, a body forming a chamber having an inlet and outlet, a valve for controlling the passage between said inlet.

and outlet, a bellows the interior of which is in direct communication with said chamber, a container forming with the exterior of the bellows a sealed chamber for heat-expansible fluid, a circuit for heating the fluid, mechanism connected to said valve and adapted to actuate the same in opposite directions, and means actuated by the bellows for actuating said mechanism.

2. In combination, a body forming a chamber having an inlet and outlet, a valve for controlling the passage between said inlet and outlet, a heat motor secured to said body and comprising a bellows and a surrounding container forming between them a sealed chamber for fluid, a rod normally movable with said bellows and projecting outside of said body, mechanism actuated by said rod for actuating the valve in opposite directions,- 

